Culture & Status

 Culture is a way of life. Every family has their own unique beliefs, values, and traditions (culture) within the walls of their homes. It doesn't necessarily matter where people are from, culture can describe the relationships and dynamics within a family. These traditions can be passed down from generation to generation, such as having a game night once a week, or they can be created within minutes. The question is, what is your family culture? 

I've been thinking a lot this week about the family culture I grew up with, and it's honestly been kind of hard to pinpoint the exact way to explain it, but I'm going to try. First of all, each person in my family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, so our religion played a significant role in our family culture. My siblings and I knew our place and what our parents expected of us. There were clear expectations and rules within the home; if we didn't follow them, there were consequences. We always have supported one another and have been there for each other when we struggled. I felt like, even though I am the youngest, I could go to my siblings for anything, and I knew they would help and not judge me. My parents took on the typical roles you would think of in an ideal family. My mother stayed at home with the kids, while my dad worked, providing for all of us. This absolutely developed a culture in my family where my siblings would lean on my mom more for support and help with things because she was always there. I was and still am completely lenient on my mom, especially with emotional things. 

That's the funny thing, most of the time (even if we don't realize it), we fall back into the same cultural patterns we grew up with, even when we get married and have our own families. One of the biggest takeaways I hope to gain is how to take different aspects of my family culture growing up and incorporate them when I have my own family one day. 

The culture within a family can also be heavily influenced by socioeconomic status. There are a lot of things that can affect what kind of "class" you are in, such as location, appearance, grooming, clothing, behavior/mannerisms, education, and occupation to name a few. 

This week I learned about the difficulties families have immigrating from Mexico to the United States. Most of the time, fathers leave for the U.S. first, to find work and send money home to their families. They expect to only be separated for about six months, but it could last up to even six years. Imagine the changes the family would undergo, with their father gone for six years working in another country. When someone or something changes the family system or culture, it usually forces everyone else in the family to change as well. Now, imagine the rest of the family finally making it to the U.S. and they are reunited with their father/husband. Do you think the family dynamic has changed? These stories are just absolutely heartbreaking but are a sad reality for many. 

I hope you see just how much culture and status affect the family. The purpose of this blog is to help others, and myself, frankly, learn how to raise a happy and beautiful family because that is the most important thing in life. I want to create a culture of love and respect for my family one day. The question you may want to ask yourself is, what kind of culture do you want to create for your own family?